First round of public interviews for Huntsville superintendent candidates begins Thursday

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Huntsville residents can learn more Thursday and Friday about the seven finalists for the city's school superintendent post, as the school board conducts the first round of public interviews.

The interviews begin at 8 a.m. Thursday with Gen. Frank Libutti of Huntsville, one of two local candidates seeking to replace Dr. Ann Roy Moore.

Each interview is slated to last about two hours, according to the schedule released by the board Wednesday. The candidates will meet with board members in the board meeting room at the Annie C. Merts Center, 200 White St. The interviews are open to the public.

Libutti is president and chief operating officer of Global Solutions 3D, based in New York. A retired U.S. Marine, he served as the first Under Secretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Following Libutti at 10:30 a.m. is Dr. Barry Carroll, superintendent of Limestone County Schools. He is a former principal of Ed White Middle School and director of secondary education for Huntsville City Schools.

Carroll took the helm of the Limestone school system in 2001, a few months after applying for the position of Huntsville superintendent. The firm that conducted the search then did not place Carroll in the top five candidates.

The final interview Thursday will be with Beth Wright, who has served as superintendent of Florence County School District 3 in Lake City, S.C., for the past 10 years.

Friday will be a longer day, beginning at 8 a.m. with the interview of Brett Springston, superintendent of the Brownsville Independent School District in Brownsville, Texas.

Dr. Daniel Brigman follows Springston at 10:30 a.m. Brigman has spent five years as superintendent of the Macon County School System in Franklin, N.C.

The board will interview Dr. Casey Wardynski, chief financial officer of the Aurora, Colo., school system, at 1 p.m. Friday. Wardynski is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army.

Dr. Eric King will be the final interview, meeting with the board at 3:30 p.m. King is the superintendent of Muncie Community School Corporation in Muncie, Ind.